hi…we bought the olympus SW 1030..but we have some problems with regards to the audio of the video… there’s this thudding sound that comes once in a while in every video that we take. we went to a service center and they insist that it’s normal…but we really doubt that cause it really disrupts the beauty of every video that we take…..it’s just so damn loud and disturbing…

… Pentax Optio W60 is making a ratcheting type sound while taking videos.

It didn’t make the noise when I first got the camera and took videos of a family event. I thought it might have something to do with the boat but then the same noise is in the other video clips.

I am often getting this kind of comments or questions. It seems that more people is starting to shoot movies with their Pentax Optio, Olympus Stylus and other point and shoot digital cameras.

Good news: Your camera is not broken!

Bad News: It is normal, unfortunately. These little cameras are very good in recording noise from lens mechanism/motor when zooming or autofocusing.

So, the only solution is to avoid using zoom or autofocus when shooting video or just accept the noise.
The zoom noise is usually worse.

This is not a new problem. I discussed it in my post written a couple of years ago:
Audio Recording with Pentax Optio W10 and Other Compact Digital Cameras.

I wonder if or how bad the zoom noise is recorded in compact camcorders like waterproof Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 or VPC-E2.